Man who raped dying teen, texted explicit pictures sentenced to less than 3 years

EVERETT, Wash. -- A man has been sentenced to less than 3 years in prison for raping a high school student dying from an overdose and then texting her semi-nude photos to his friends before trying to dispose of her body.

KOMO reported that Brian Varela, 20, of Snohomish County, Wash., was sentenced to 34 months after admitting that he raped the victim while she overdosed on drugs and left her to die.

Varela was sentenced Thursday after he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, third-degree rape and unlawful disposal of remains.

The crime happened in February as the victim overdosed in his room. He sent images of her body to his friends and tried to cover up her death by disposing of her body.

“It’s a joke,” the victim’s mother said. “Usually people who do stuff like this don’t get away with a slap on the wrist.”